Network, network, network: Job seekers hear the same mantra from all the pros.
That’s been a bit difficult over the past few years for Eroca Gabriel, who moved to Denver in 2007 to care for aging family members. She had little time to meet with others.
Gabriel’s brother had been caring for her mother, who suffered from emphysema.
“He was the one most settled,” says Gabriel, who lived on the East Coast and worked for many years in human resources. “I was the wanderer.”
When her brother suffered a brain injury from an auto accident, Gabriel knew it was her turn to be caretaker to her mother. She also wanted to help her brother.
“He’s much older than I am, and he really helped raise me,” she says. “He was my father figure. After the accident, he suffered dementia. I decided to take an elder-care sabbatical.”
Soon after her mother died, Gabriel, who moved here from North Carolina, decided to start her own networking group.
“I had such a strong, successful career for so many years; I thought I’d have no problem getting a job,” Gabriel says. “A year later, I realized I was wrong. Over the past few years, I really had no time to make a lot of friends or get out there and meet people while I cared for my family, so I decided to start my own ‘networking’ group for professionals over the age of 50. I put up a little flier to get the word out.”
Every Tuesday, from 9 to 11 a.m., Gabriel sits at her “help desk” at the Starbucks near Interstate 25 and East Hampden Avenue.
“It was intended for those of us who are over 50 and unemployed to talk about transitions,” Gabriel says. “Occasionally, I find myself giving advice to someone who’s employed but having problems with her job.”
Management/employee relations and career development were her strengths over her 16-year career, so she’s neither surprised nor reluctant to lend a hand.
“I just hope if I reach out, that person will in turn help someone else out,” says Gabriel, 55.
“I think giving back keeps you young,” she says. “That and meditating, eating well and living organically. Oh and drinking moderately. I do like a good beer or glass of wine once in a while.”
The career she has pursued since graduating with a master’s degree in communication from the University of Nebraska in 1989 has built a lengthy skill set.
“I’d love to work again as a consultant or project manager for a tech-heavy company, such as one in the insurance, medical or media field,” Gabriel says. “I just can’t sit back and do nothing. I’d like to work somewhere where I can make the HR practices better, help people develop confidence and communicate better.”
She says that, financially, she has enough to get by for several months, but she plans to spend the summer really focusing on finding a job. She’s joined the Colorado State Society for Human Resource Management Council to help her with that all-important networking process.
George Smart, an organization and development consultant Gabriel hired about 20 years ago, says his former co-worker and friend would be a great catch for any company.
Highly reliable
“She worked for one of the hospitals here in North Carolina,” he says. “What I love about her is that she’s not only incredibly intelligent, she’s organized and reliable. If she says she’ll call you back in an hour, she does it.”
Gabriel, Smart says, was also very easy to work with.
“So many people in her industry don’t know what they’re doing, and put in programs that seem like they belong in a “Dilbert” strip,” he says with a laugh. “She honestly knew what she was doing. She did great work. And she’s an incredibly compassionate, feeling person.”
Her years spent caring for her mother have changed her outlook on her own life and on society.
“I’m really interested in working on issues of aging,” she says. “There are millions of baby boomers. I’m one of them. But if you age well, you can be productive until you’re in your 80s or longer.”
A lesson in compassion
Watching her mother suffer taught her a valuable lesson.
“People who have never had to care for someone with a terrible disease often don’t understand this. You have to give comfort, care and then let them go.”
Gabriel pauses to sip her tea and compose herself.
“I have such a strong call to the sacred,” she says. “I look at this as a spiritual journey. If you’re doing it right, you become kinder. You become more compassionate. And we need more of that in this world.”
Two experts offer four job-hunting tips
Bernadette Leyendecker, public relations director with the Colorado State Society for Human Resource Management Council, and Stuart Sigman, provost at Naropa University () offer these tips for job seekers:
Play up your skill set: Leyendecker and Sigman point out that those who have worked in the human-resources world have a long set of skills. “From team-building to knowledge of health care to an understanding of the business in which you work, we really have to be all things to all people,” says Leyendecker, who was recently laid off from a company after more than 20 years in the business. “You have to sell those skills. It’s a tough market out there, but if you have a passion for what you do, you really have to get out there and not be too picky.”
Expand your search: The skills of an HR person are valuable, Sigman says, and can transfer to other fields. “Naropa is seeing many people who are exploring different careers or continuing their education,” he says. “For instance, someone who has cared for a parent and understands the challenges we’ll all face as we age might be interested in health care.”
Work for free at first: Explore your options, Sigman says. “Start slow. For instance, if you want to make a transition into health care, volunteer at a hospital, a nursing home or even hospice. Be sure it’s something you really want to do with your life.”
Keep learning: Look into training programs, Sigman says. “It doesn’t have to be a full-degree program. Take courses at the local library. Look for a continuing education program that will guide you. Naropa offers a course on authentic leadership, which focuses on how organizations operate with a humane approach to being a leader. There’s also an end-of-life care class. Many professional organizations and libraries offer classes, as well.”
